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James T. Kirk
James Tiberius Kirk, serial no. SC937-0176CEC, was arguably the most famous Starfleet captain in Federation history. He commanded both the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|USS Enterprise]] and the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A)|USS Enterprise-A]]. Early History Kirk was born March 22, 2233 in the town of Riverside, Iowa on planet Earth. (TOS: "The Deadly Years"; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) :According to the infamous and incorrect "James R. Kirk" tombstone, created by Gary Mitchell in TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before", Kirk was born on stardate 1277.1. That could have been the stardate Kirk actually assumed command of the Enterprise, with its place on the tombstone being part of Mitchell's morbid sense of humor. :Kirk's birthplace of Riverside was never fully canonically established on screen. The real life town of Riverside "claimed" Kirk after ''Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home established that Kirk was born in Iowa, and with Gene Roddenberry's consent, developed a tourist industry around this idea.'' By 2246, Kirk had moved to Tarsus IV, where he was, at the age of 13, one of nine surviving eyewitnesses to the massacre of some 4,000 colonists by Governor Kodos the Executioner. (TOS: "The Conscience of the King") Academy Years & Early Career In 2250, Kirk qualified for Starfleet Academy with the assistance of a man named Mallory. During his freshman year, Kirk was tormented by an upperclassman named Finnegan, who frequently chose Kirk as a target for practical jokes. Kirk found a measure of satisfaction years later, in 2267, when he had the chance to wallop a replica of Finnegan created on the Amusement Park planet in the Omicron Delta region. (TOS: "Obsession", "Shore Leave") As a first-year cadet, Kirk was a part of the peace mission to the world of Axanar. For his participation in this successful mission, he was awarded the Palm Leaf of Axanar Peace Mission. (TOS: "Court Martial", "Whom Gods Destroy") When Kirk was a midshipman, he befriended Academy instructor Lieutenant Ben Finney. Some years later, Kirk and Finney would serve together aboard the [[USS Republic|USS Republic]]. The two would become so close that Finney would name his daughter, Jame, after Kirk. (TOS: "Court Martial") Among Kirk's more influential instructors at the Academy was noted historian John Gill. One of Kirk's heroes at the Academy was the legendary Captain Garth of Izar, whose exploits are required reading. Years later, Kirk helped save his hero when Garth had become criminally insane and was being held treated at the Elba II penal colony. Another of Kirk's personal heroes was Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of Earth's United States of America. (TOS: "Patterns of Force", "Whom Gods Destroy", "The Savage Curtain") James Kirk earned a reputation for having been the only cadet ever to have beaten the feared "no-win" ''Kobayashi Maru'' scenario, which tested a cadet's response to a scenario in which victory is impossible. Kirk repeatedly refused to accept his failure to win. On his third attempt, Kirk beat the "no-win" scenario by secretly reprogramming the simulation computer to make it possible to win, earning a commendation for original thinking in the process. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) As a young lieutenant in 2254, Kirk commanded his first planetary survey during an assignment on the planet Neural. During this mission, Kirk met and befriended one of the planet's natives, Tyree. (TOS: "A Private Little War") :Many believe that Kirk was serving aboard the USS ''Farragut during this mission, although that was never established. Aboard the Farragut After graduating from the Academy in 2254, Kirk began serving under Captain Garrovick. Kirk's first deep space assignment was as a lieutenant aboard the [[USS Farragut|USS Farragut]], serving as a tactical officer under the command of Garrovick. While serving aboard the Farragut in 2257, Lieutenant Kirk blamed himself for the deaths of 200 Farragut personnel, including Captain Garrovick, by the dikironium cloud creature at planet Tycho IV. According to the tapes, documenting the event, Kirk insisted upon blaming himself because of his delay in firing at the creature. The ship's executive officer, however, disagreed, stating, "Lieutenant Kirk is a fine young officer who performed with uncommon bravery". (TOS: "Obsession") :It is unclear from the episodes whether Kirk '''first' served under Garrovick aboard the Farragut, since Kirk only stated that Garrovick had been his commanding officer since graduation. Whether Kirk's assignment to Neural took place while serving aboard the Farragut is also unknown, however, many believe that it took place while Kirk was assigned to that vessel. Aboard the Republic Sometime during the 2250s, Kirk served as an ensign aboard the [[USS Republic|USS Republic]] along with his friend, Lieutenant Ben Finney. Unfortunately, a rift developed between them when Kirk logged a mistake that Finney had made which could have caused the destruction of the ship. Because of this, Finney was put on reprimand and his name was sent to the bottom of the promotion list. Finney would blame Kirk for his subsequent inability to gain a command of his own, effectively ending their friendship. (TOS: "Court Martial") :According to many sources, including the Star Trek Chronology, Kirk's tour-of-duty aboard the ''Republic and the incident with Finney took place while Kirk was still an Academy cadet, albeit with the brevet rank of ensign. However, dialogue from the "Court Martial" episode neither supports nor refutes this conclusion. It is also unknown whether Kirk's assignment aboard the Republic took place before or after his term on the Farragut. :Kirk's rank aboard the ''Republic is that of ensign; it is mentioned in TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before" that he was a lieutenant while serving in the Academy but not clarified if this means a midshipman lieutenant or a regular one. This is the reason many speculate Kirk to have received the brevet rank of ensign while at the Academy and that his tour-of-duty aboard the Republic took place prior to his graduation. However, as stated above, none of the episodes neither support or refute this conclusion. The USS Enterprise Kirk served with distinction in the years that followed, rapidly rising up the ranks, until he was promoted to Captain in 2264 when he was given command of the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|USS Enterprise]]. The Five-Year Mission Kirk commanded the Enterprise for a total of twenty-two years, but his greatest renown came from his command of an historic five-year mission of the Enterprise from 2265 to 2270 that made him a legend in space exploration. (Star Trek: Generations; VOY: "Q2") Kirk's living quarters aboard the Enterprise were on Deck 5, room "3F 121". (TOS: "Journey to Babel", "The Conscience of the King") At age 31, Kirk was the youngest officer to date to reach the rank of captain. In 2266, Kirk made first contact with the spaceship Fesarius of the First Federation. The ship's commander, Balok, is at first wary of the intentions of Kirk and his crew, but Kirk is able to convince him that they are on a peaceful mission. Later that year, Kirk and crew made first contact with the mythical Thasians, although the encounter was brief. (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver", "Charlie X") Shortly thereafter, on stardate 1672.1, Kirk was split into two duplicates by a transporter malfunction, with each duplicate carrying a different part of Kirk's personality (one good, one evil). It was found that, while separated, the survival of both personalities were threatened, and a way was eventually found to recombine the two. (TOS: "The Enemy Within") On stardate 1709.2, Kirk repelled the first Romulan incursion into Federation space in over a century. He was ordered to take the Enterprise to the Romulan Neutral Zone, where an unidentified vessel had destroyed four Neutral Zone outposts. The vessel was not only revealed to be a Romulan Bird-of-Prey, but it was found to be capable of rendering itself invisible, a technological feat that until then was only considered theoretically possible. The ship was also armed with a powerful, new plasma torpedo, which nearly destroyed the Enterprise. Kirk takes the Enterprise into the Neutral Zone against Starfleet orders in order to capture the vessel. After an extensive chase and subsequent battle, the Enterprise disables the Romulan vessel, after which the Romulan commander destroyed his own ship. During this encounter, Kirk and his bridge crew became the first Starfleet officers to see a Romulan face-to-face. Prior to this point, the appearance of the Romulans was a mystery. (TOS: "Balance of Terror") On stardate 2817.6, Kirk confronted the infamous Kodos the Executioner, the man who ordered the deaths of 4,000 people on Tarsus IV twenty years ago. Kodos, now an actor calling himself Anton Karidian, had come aboard the Enterprise along with his daughter, Lenore. When Kirk and Enterprise crewmember Kevin Riley - another survivor of the Tarsus IV incident - were almost murdered, the blame fell on Anton. However, it was revealed that his daughter was the true culprit, as she attempted to kill the remaining witnesses to her father's past crime. (TOS: "The Conscience of the King") By 2267, Kirk had earned an impressive list of commendations from Starfleet, including the Grankite Order of Tactics, Class of Excellence and the Prentares Ribbon of Commendation. Kirk's awards for valor included the Starfleet Medal of Honor, the Starfleet Silver Palm with cluster, the Starfleet Citation for Conspicuous Gallantry, and the Karagite Order of Heroism. (TOS: "Court Martial") That year, Kirk became the first starship captain to ever face a court martial, after being accused of causing the death of Ben Finney. Kirk's trial, held at Starbase 11, proved Kirk innocent of wrongdoing when it was revealed that Finney had faked his own death and framed Kirk in an attempt to get revenge for his inability to gain his own command. Finney was then taken into custody and Kirk was exonerated. (TOS: "Court Martial") Later, on stardate 3045.6, Kirk made first contact with the species known as the Gorn. When the Enterprise gave chase to a Gorn ship that had destroyed the Federation base at Cestus III, Kirk and the Gorn captain were taken from their respective ships to a desolate planet by the Metrons, who forced the two captains to fight each other, threatening to destroy the loser's vessel. Kirk ultimately proved victorious, but when he refused to kill the Gorn, the Metrons were impressed and allowed both ships to go free. (TOS: "Arena") On stardate 3141.9, Kirk and his crew discovered a group of genetically-engineered Augments from Earth's Eugenics Wars, led by Khan Noonien Singh. Khan and his followers attempted to take over the Enterprise, but were ultimately foiled. Kirk exiled Khan and his people on planet Ceti Alpha V, where he would have a chance to live out his days in peace without threatening others. (TOS: "Space Seed") During the original five-year mission, Kirk recorded a tape of last orders to be played by Commander Spock and Chief Medical Officer McCoy upon his death. While trapped in a spatial interphase near Tholian space, Kirk vanished with the [[USS Defiant (NCC-1764)|USS Defiant]] and was declared dead. His last orders conveyed the hope that his two friends would work together despite their differences. ("The Tholian Web") ]] Several of Kirk's voyages involved travel through time. According to the Federation Department of Temporal Investigations, Kirk, who sometimes ignored regulations when he felt it was for the greater good, amassed 17 separate temporal violations during his career, more than any other person on file. (DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations") :On screen, Kirk went back in time on at least seven occasions: TOS: "The Naked Time, "Assignment: Earth", "Tomorrow is Yesterday", "The City on the Edge of Forever", "All Our Yesterdays"; TAS: "Yesteryear" and ''Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and forward at least once: Star Trek: Generations.'' Later Career Following the return of the Enterprise from the five-year mission in 2270, Kirk received a promotion to rear admiral and became Chief of Starfleet Operations, a post he held for two and a half years. Kirk recommended Willard Decker to replace him as Enterprise captain while the ship underwent an extensive refit. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture") In early 2273, when Earth was threatened by the entity V'Ger, Kirk convinced Admiral Nogura that he was the best choice to face its threat. Although Kirk maintained his rank as admiral, he regained command of the Enterprise, in which position he was referred to as her captain. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) Kirk went on to command a second five-year mission of the Enterprise from 2273 to 2278, adding to an already near-legendary service record. Kirk actually retired(albeit briefly from Starfleet in 2281 to pursue a number of personal goals and affairs. (Star Trek: Generations) Kirk was an intensely driven individual who loved the outdoors. A personal challenge that nearly cost him his life was free-climbing the sheer El Capitan mountain face in Yosemite National Park on Earth. He was an accomplished equestrian, and kept a horse at a mountain cabin that he owned during his first retirement. Another companion at his mountain cabin was Butler, his Great Dane. He sold the cabin sometime after his return to Starfleet. (Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier) Kirk returned to Starfleet in 2284 and took a position in the admiralty, as a staff instructor at Starfleet Academy. Kirk was dissatisfied with ground assignment, and returned to active duty in 2285 when Khan Noonien Singh hijacked the [[USS Reliant|USS Reliant]] and stole the Genesis Device. During the mission, Captain Spock was killed when he entered an area flooded by radiation in order to carry out critical repairs to the ship. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) The loss impacted Kirk deeply, and when he learned that Spock's katra had survived, Kirk and the remaining Enterprise senior officers stole the ship from Earth Spacedock in order to recover the re-animated body of Spock from the Genesis Planet and bring it to Vulcan, where Spock was brought back to life in the fal-tor-pan (refusion) ritual. Kirk ordered the Enterprise's destruction in the incident to prevent its capture by Klingons. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock) Kirk and his officers were charged with nine violations of Starfleet regulations and subsequently subjected to a court martial for their actions in appropriating the Enterprise, but in light of their actions all charges where dismissed with the exception of one charge against Admiral Kirk, of disobeying a superior officer. Kirk pled guilty. The Federation Council was nonetheless grateful for Kirk's role in saving Earth from the devastating effects of an alien probe, which was causing massive environmental damage while attempting to communicate with an extinct species of whale, that Kirk's sentence was a mere reduction in rank one grade to Captain, and he was assigned command of the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A)|USS Enterprise-A]]. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) Kirk commanded this ship for a further seven years. His career culminated in his escort of Klingon Chancellor Gorkon to Earth for a peace conference in 2293. Kirk opposed Gorkon's peace initiative, and especially resented the fact that he was chosen as the Federation's olive branch. During that mission, assassins from among his crew killed the Chancellor. Kirk (along with McCoy) was subsequently arrested and wrongly convicted for the murder of Gorkon by Federation and Klingon forces conspiring to block Gorkon's initiatives. Sentenced to the infamous Rura Penthe penal asteroid, known throughout the galaxy as the "Aliens' Graveyard" and reputed to be escape-proof, Kirk and McCoy rapidly escaped. He took the Enterprise-A to Khitomer to prevent another assassination attempt, this time on the Federation president, and saved the historic Khitomer Conference from further attacks. The Enterprise-A was decommissioned, and Kirk retired from Starfleet shortly thereafter. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) Physical Health Early in his life, Kirk contracted and nearly died from Vegan choriomeningitis. Although he was cured, the organisms of the disease continued to be carried in his blood. In 2369, the council of Gideon would attempt to use these organisms to control their planet's overpopulation. (TOS: "The Mark of Gideon") Kirk was allergic to Retinax V; as a result, he needed to use old fashioned corrective lenses to adjust for his increasing farsightedness. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) Relationships Friendships Gary Mitchell Kirk met a young Gary Mitchell in 2250, and the two would become fast friends following Mitchell's admission into the Academy. They would participate in the same class together, with Kirk holding the rank of lieutenant. Kirk's tenacity in this class would earn him the nickname "a stack of books with legs", and Mitchell would later recall how other cadets warned him to watch out for Lieutenant Kirk, since in his class, you were forced to "think or sink." In an attempt to divert his friend's attentions and make the class easier to get through, Mitchell set Kirk up with a "little blonde lab technician" whom Kirk would almost marry. :There are two ways Mitchell's recollections of Kirk at the Academy can be interpreted. One interpretation is that Kirk was an instructor and Mitchell one of his students. Another interpretation has Kirk as a classmate of Mitchell's, a bookworm who proved difficult to keep up with in class. Dialogue from the episode does little to make it clear which is the case. :The "little blonde lab technician" mentioned by Mitchell was later thought by some to be a reference to Carol Marcus; however, it could just as easily be a reference to Janet Wallace or Ruth or some other woman with whom Kirk was involved. Later in their careers, Kirk and Mitchell took part in a mission to planet Dimorus, where they encountered sentient rodent-like creatures that shot poisonous darts. Mitchell took one of the darts meant for Kirk, saving Kirk's life but nearly dying himself. Kirk and Mitchell also spent a wild shore leave together on Deneb IV. When Kirk was given command of the Enterprise, he asked Mitchell to come aboard to serve as his senior navigator. Mitchell was a part of Kirk's crew when the Enterprise departed for its five-year mission in 2265. Sadly, Kirk would be forced to kill his friend that same year when a fateful encounter with the galactic barrier mutated Mitchell into a godlike being. (TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before") Spock Leonard McCoy Romance Kirk was notably unsuccessful in maintaining a long-term relationship with any woman. Although he was involved with many different women during his life, his intense passion for his ship and his career always seemed to interfere. In 2252, while still attending the Academy, Kirk was romantically involved with a woman named Ruth. In 2267, he would be greeted by a replica of Ruth created by the Amusement Park planet in the Omicron Delta region. (TOS: "Shore Leave")Kirk was also involved with Janice Lester while attending the Academy. The two would be reunited in a truly bizarre manner in 2269, when Lester, extremely jealous of Kirk's successful career, traded her consciousness with that of Kirk's to take his place as captain of the Enterprise. (TOS: "Turnabout Intruder") In 2261, Kirk was involved with Dr. Carol Marcus. The two had a child, David Marcus, but Kirk and Carol did not remain together, because their respective careers took them in separate directions. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) Kirk was also involved with the future Janet Wallace in 2261; this relationship was also called off due to their difference in careers. In 2263, Kirk's would break off his relationship with Areel Shaw. Shaw would become the prosecutor in Kirk's court martial four years later, but was pleased when she lost the case and Kirk was exonerated of any wrongdoing. (TOS: "The Deadly Years", "Court Martial") Two of Kirk's more tragic relationships came during his first five-year command of the Enterprise. In 2267, Kirk and Spock traveled back to the 1930s to repair damage to the timeline accidently caused by Leonard McCoy. While searching for McCoy in the past, Kirk met and fell in love with social worker Edith Keeler. Unfortunately, Keeler was found to be the focal point in history changed by McCoy: Kirk was forced to allow Keeler to die in order to restore the timeline. (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever") The following year, Kirk, suffering from amnesia, fell in love and married Miramanee, the tribal priestess of a Native American tribe, on the planet Amerind. Miramanee would subsequently become pregnant with Kirk's child, but both she and the unborn child would both be killed when she and Kirk were stoned during a local power struggle. (TOS: "The Paradise Syndrome") Kirk fell in love with Antonia after his first retirement from Starfleet. The two lived together for some time before Kirk decided to rejoin Starfleet. For the rest of his life, he regretted not having proposed to her. (Star Trek: Generations) Family Kirk had an older brother, George Samuel Kirk, whom he called "Sam", and sister-in-law Aurelan. They were lost on the planet Deneva due to the invasion of the neural parasites in 2267. Kirk's nephew, Peter Kirk would survive the attack. (TOS: "Operation -- Annihilate!") Sam Kirk had two other sons who were not on Deneva at the time of the tragedy. (TOS: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?") David Marcus In 2285, Kirk was reunited with Carol Marcus and their son, David, who were both working on Project Genesis, when Kirk rescued them from Khan Noonien Singh. David had not been made aware that Kirk was his father; however, the two of them were able to achieve a degree of rapprochement. Tragically, however, shortly thereafter, David was murdered on the Genesis Planet, by a Klingon officer who sought to steal the secret of Genesis. Kirk carried the bitterness for his son's murder for years; this caused his previous political opposition of the Klingon Empire to evolve into a personal hatred of the Klingons as a race. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) The Nexus Shortly after his second retirement, Kirk joined his friends Montgomery Scott and Pavel Chekov as honored guests on the maiden voyage of the ''Excelsior''-class [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B)|USS Enterprise-B]] in 2293. The voyage was little more than a ceremonial cruise; the Enterprise-B was neither fully equipped or staffed. During the voyage, the ship received a distress signal from two ''Whorfin''-class ships transporting El Aurian refugees, that were trapped in an energy distortion called the Nexus. The Enterprise-B responded, and during the rescue attempt, Kirk was lost through a hull breach after successfully making a modification to the ship's deflector relays that would enable the ship to escape the energy distortion. Although Kirk was presumed dead, it was later learned that he had actually entered the Nexus, where he remained until 2371. In that year, he was discovered by ''Enterprise''-D Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and agreed to leave the anomaly in order to help stop the deranged scientist Dr. Tolian Soran from destroying the Veridian system. Kirk was successful in saving the Veridians and the crew of the Enterprise-D, but the heroic effort cost Kirk his life when the bridge he was on collapsed into a ravine. James T. Kirk was buried in a simple stone cairn on a mountain top on the planet Veridian III. (Star Trek: Generations) Key Dates * 2233: Born in Riverside, Iowa on Earth. * 2246: On Tarsus IV, is one of nine witnesses to massacre ordered by Governor Kodos. * 2250: Enters Starfleet Academy as a Cadet. (conjecture) Meets Gary Mitchell. * 2252: Is romantically involved with Ruth. * 2254: Graduates from Academy after beating the "no-win" Kobayashi Maru scenario. (conjecture) Assigned under command of Captain Garrovick. Commands his first away mission, a survey on planet Neural. * Early to mid-2250s: As an Ensign, is assigned aboard [[USS Republic|USS Republic]], along with Lieutenant Ben Finney. Kirk also participates in the Axanar Peace Mission. * 2257: Encounters dikironium cloud creature while serving abouard the USS Farragut. * 2261: Relationship with Carol Marcus ends; their son, David Marcus, is born. (conjecture) Kirk breaks off relationship with Janet Wallace. .]] * 2263: Breaks off relationship with Areel Shaw. * 2265 - 2270: As Captain, commands five-year mission of USS Enterprise. Specific accomplishments include: : 2265: Takes the USS Enterprise across the galactic barrier, the first Earth ship to do so in 200 years. During the mission, is forced to kill close friend Gary Mitchell. : 2266: Achieves first contact with the First Federation led by Balok. Later that year, destroys a Romulan Bird-of-Prey which has crossed the Romulan Neutral Zone and attacked several Federation outposts. : 2267: Becomes the first Starfleet Captain ever to stand trial when he is court martialed for negligent homicide in the death of Ben Finney. During the trial Finney is found to be alive. : 2268: Responsible for stealing a Romulan cloaking device during a covert Starfleet intelligence mission. Experiences amnesia and lives among the American Indians on Amerind where he weds Miramanee. : 2269: Diverts the asteroid-ship Yonada from destroying Daran V. * 2270: Promoted to Rear Admiral and assigned as Chief of Starfleet Operations. * 2273: Accepts temporary grade reduction to Captain and assumes command of USS Enterprise to intercept V'Ger. * 2281: Retires from Starfleet. * 2284: Returns to Starfleet as an instructor at Starfleet Academy. * 2285: Assumes temporary command of the Enterprise during a routine training mission, engages Khan Noonien Singh in the Battle of the Mutara Nebula. Deserts from Starfleet later that year to retrieve body of Captain Spock from Genesis Planet. * 2286: Returns to Earth to face court martial charges. Subsequently saves the planet in the Whale Probe incident. Demoted to Captain for disobeying orders of Starfleet Commander Harry Morrow and assigned to command the USS Enterprise-A. * 2287: Takes the Enterprise to the center of the galaxy after a hijack attempt by Vulcan renegade Sybok. * 2293: Responsible for saving the Khitomer Conference, along with Captain Hikaru Sulu of the [[USS Excelsior|USS Excelsior]]; retired by Starfleet and is believed killed later that year during the maiden voyage of the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B)|USS Enterprise-B]]. * 2371: Found alive inside the Nexus by Jean-Luc Picard. Killed by Tolian Soran while defeating his plans and saving planet Veridian III. Background James T. Kirk was played by actor William Shatner throughout TOS, TAS and the first seven films. The only episodes from Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Animated Series in which Kirk does not appear are the first pilot, "The Cage", and the animated episode "The Slaver Weapon". William Shatner was not the first choice to play Kirk. The producers first approached actors Lloyd Bridges and Jack Lord for the role; both turned it down. Both Bridges and Lord have since passed away. According to Shatner's non-canon novel "The Return", Kirk was reborn with Borg and Romulan technology following his death in Star Trek: Generations. de:James T. Kirk nl:James T. Kirk Kirk, James Kirk, James Kirk, James